A look into the umbrella that covers you from the rain and allows you to text while walking into other people

by Lory Martinez

Brolly Umbrella with knuckles

I first saw this story on Gawker, and I thought I’d share it with you all.

“Brolly,” once an englishism used to describe an umbrella, is now the name of a “text-friendly” umbrella designed to allow users to stay dry and still freely use their phones. The promo for the new gadget is a parody of what is now deemed a classic “first world problem” : Not being able to text…in the rain.

Check it out:

As a New Yorker, I’ve had this problem, and have been the victim of many a joke by my friends who offer no assistance and instead watch with wide grins as I fumble with my umbrella and phone at the same time. I would often find myself thinking, “the struggle is real,” as the umbrella falls to the ground and I get covered in rain anyway. But of course, the best part is when I walk into/bump into a stranger who is most assuredly having the worst of days, and swears me into a stupor.

Umbrellas 05 (Photo credit: Jethro Taylor)

Business, I’m sure, will be “a boomin” for the company as this is a common problem. However, I’m not sure this solves the issue of inattention while in motion. Maybe people will bump into each other more often and be more polite to each other as a result? Perhaps we will come up with a way for us to look where we are going while still browsing our phones… but that’s just a pipe dream, and dangerously Terminator-like.